Argyrodendron


Argyrodendron is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. Species of Argyrodendron are found in Indonesia, New Guinea, the Philippines and Australia.

Description

Plants in the genus Argyrodendron are tall trees, usually with buttress roots, the new growth and leaves often covered with shield-shaped scales. The leaves are usually palmately compound with 3 to 9 leaflets. The flowers are arranged in panicles in leaf axils with either male or female flowers. The sepals are cup-shaped with 5 lobes and white or cream-coloured, but there are no petals. Female flowers have 3 to 5 sessile carpels each with a single ovule, joined styles and 15 staminodes at the base. The fruit is a winged samara with a more or less spherical nut at the base.

Taxonomy

The genus Argyrodendron was first formally described in 1858 by Ferdinand [von Mueller] in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae and the first species he described was A. trifoliatum. The genus name is derived from ancient Greek argros meaning "silver" and dendron meaning "a tree", referring to the silvery underside of the leaves.

Species list

The following species of Argyrodendron are accepted by Plants of [the World Online] as at June 2024: